Omelas By Ursula K. Le Guinn Analysis

All that is expected from a utopia is pure bliss and happiness, a perfect world without a single flaw. The city of Omelas, an unblemished environment with people to match with it, has a seemly perfect portrayal on the surface until Omelas’ darkside is revealed. Knowing the foundation of the society reveals that every society and its ethics should be questioned, including our own.
Ursula K. Le Guin’s choice of wording in her short story, brings not only the mysterious city of Omelas to life, but serves as a source of enlightenment. The reader is given an active narrator in the story and is left with many broad uncertainties about Omelas. With the few “known” details of the city itself, the piece demonstrates how willing society is as a whole to accept the misery of a few. It stimulates the mind of
the reader and makes them question the susceptibility some may have to suffering in our modern day world in comparison to others.
The story begins with a prosperous and beautiful land known as Omelas and presents the reader with the “Festival of Summer,” a bright and lively event held in the city. The author puts emphasis on the carefree land and people in a variety of ways, such as with,and . Such wording provides a delightful feeling, one nearly as strong as the fictional people themselves are experiencing. Questioning any negatives concerning the city may not become a concern because of this but the title of the work itself almost recommends some suspicion to be held. The superb amount of happiness adds to the heartbreaking reality of the city after the description of such a joyous community.
The most powerful and significant symbol in the story is the young child who is kept away under one of the city buildings. The author brings up the child after questioning the reader on the sincere purity of Omelas. The child is never allowed to leave the room it is kept in and endures awful conditions including. Sarah Wyman, author of describes the purpose of the child in powerful detail. Wyman reiterates the lack of a sex the child belonged to, making her point even more powerful by strengthening the idea that abuse to any human being is unjust and the concept of iniquity is unisex.
The child depicted the selfishness of Omelas as a whole and such greed could be compared to reality as well. There is never any detail provided as to why that specific child had to become the sacrifice for the city, enforcing the idea of mistreatment of the innocent. The misery of one was simply an exchange of happiness for the majority of society, which was the primary concern. Wyman ties this thought back to reality because whether there are any who disagree with sacrifices from the minority for the majority, there will either be dispute or a lack of action. In Omelas, the initial reaction from the people after seeing the child was anger but that passionate emotion developed into a feeling of simple acceptance, almost becoming a sense of denial.
It is also unknown if the child is aware of the consequences that would have occurred if they were to have been released from his/her small prison, but because of the child’s lack of willpower, the child most likely accepted the role they were given. Even if the child is released, he/she will not be guaranteed happiness along with the rest of the civilians of Omelas. Everyone in the city is exposed to the child at some point in their lives and explained the purpose of such abuse. Pained, the civilians would object by screaming or crying because of the treatment of the child but learned to go about their lives accepting this.The majority of citizens have a twisted sense of responsibility for themselves, the city, and the people of Omelas. The majority feels that one seemingly insignificant person’s misery equates to the superbly happy lifestyle for many.
A second important aspect of the story is the questioning of happiness. The narrator asks what happiness should consist of such as needs, wants, and even a combination of both criteria. This has a meaningful impact on the understanding of the overall allegory because it provides a sense of questioning the concept of happiness before shocking the audience with the idea that happiness may depend on others, not overall satisfaction from materialistic desires. Little do some readers know that this could have been foreshadowing the child in the basement. The words “necessary” and “destructive” give the implication that the author is leaning toward a more environmental message rather than one concerning ethics, almost referencing object-oriented thinkers.
Questioning the true meaning of happiness and hinting the idea that it relies on materials strays the reader away from questioning other key factors concerning happiness. In the story’s case, happiness does not only come from items but a clean conscience. What was being destroyed was not the earth, rather the civilians’ minds. The townspeople all lived enchanting lives while trying not to succumb to the guilt living inside of them. In the end, no one may have had a truly happy life despite the welcoming atmosphere, lack of violence, and availability to whatever trinket they could ever want.
He feels the narrator most likely questioned the reader on happiness because Happiness is not only questionable as an idea itself but can be tied back to one individual and if their happiness is worth the expense of something else, whether it be the living earth or people.
The final critical aspect presented to readers in the story is the question of whether it was ethical to leave Omelas or not without any other action for the city or child.
The ending given alludes to the conclusion that it is only best for the people to walk away but in actuality, it could be seen as a form of selfishness. Those who walk away are accepting the fate of Omelas and its source of happiness but feel that there is nothing they can do. The tranquility of the city is dependent on the child and in a sense, nothing can be done. With this mentality, those who disapproved of the city’s scapegoat for joy may have felt an even lesser reason to try and combat against the silent conflict within Omelas. Others could have felt too shocked to do anything but walk away in an attempt to avoid dealing with such an irreparable situation.Those walking away are not helping the child directly but by abandoning the society without the assurance of finding a new one for themselves, the individual could help the remaining citizens of Omelas see the wrong in their “perfect” society and perhaps promote some sort of reform such as the citizens abandoning the city of Omelas
altogether.
Though on the surface, “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” seems to be a story that almost fools one into thinking that it is not as complex as it claims to be but in actuality, each word that is taken into consideration can unleash brand new views that open our eyes more than ever. Perspectives can drastically differ but all have one thing in common: it is a reflection of a society that once was, is present, or could be. Utopias are pure at first glance but are capable of hiding bitter secrets and evils, proving that selfishness is present in all societies.